What Is the Guest Portal?

The guest portal is your private home page for the episode you're appearing on. Everything about the recording lives here: the schedule, the meeting link, the show notes, and a chat with your host. This page walks through each part.

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The Top Bar

At the very top you'll see the podcast's artwork and name, labelled Guest portal, so you always know which show you're looking at. On the right there's a theme switcher (Light, Dark, or System) and your account options: Sign in and Create account if you haven't signed in to show.fm, or a menu with your name if you have.

The Episode Header

Under the top bar are the essentials for your episode:

• The episode title and its current status, such as Scheduled
• Recording date and time, displayed in your own time zone ("Shown in your time zone"), with a friendly countdown like "in 3 days"
• Join: when your host has set a recording link, the main button (labelled for the platform, such as Join on Riverside) opens it in a new tab, and the copy button next to it copies the link to your clipboard. If the session is recorded in person you'll see "Recorded in person", and if the link hasn't been added yet you'll see that too
• The episode description, if the host has written one. A long description shows two lines at first; choose More to read the rest

On recording day

Come back to the portal and use the join button. No hunting through old emails for the recording link.

Show Notes: Shared and My Notes

The show notes are where you and the host prepare the episode together. There are two tabs, and the difference between them matters. A line at the top of each tab tells you who can read it, with their faces.

Shared

The portal's own words: "Everyone on this episode can read this, and it may be published."

In short: everyone on the episode can read Shared notes, and what you write there may end up in the published episode page. Great for links to your work, topics you want to cover, and anything you're happy to see public.

My Notes

The portal's own words: "Only you and the host can read this."

In short: other guests can't see My notes, but your host can (and "may refer to these during the interview"). Use it for questions, reminders, and personal prep.

Your edits save automatically as you type, and when someone else is working in a section you'll see their avatar appear on it. If the host hasn't set up show notes yet, you'll see No show notes yet: "Your host hasn't created show notes for this episode yet. You can still chat with them while you wait."

There's more detail in Contribute to Show Notes.

Chat

On a computer, the Episode Chat is docked on the right of the screen. You can fold it to a slim rail to give the notes more room, then click the rail to open it again. On a phone, a switcher at the top shows Shared, My notes, or Chat, one at a time. Use the chat to coordinate with your host before the recording; see Message Your Host.

What Can Your Host See?

A quick summary, so there are no surprises:

• Shared notes: visible to the host and every other participant, and may be published
• My notes: visible to you and the host only
• Chat messages: visible to everyone on the episode
• The host can also see whether and when you've accessed the portal

The portal is read-mostly beyond that: you can't change the episode itself, and there's nothing you can break. Explore freely.

What's Next?

• Contribute to Show Notes
• Message Your Host
• Appearing on podcasts often? Create a free account to keep all your episodes in one place.